End of an Era How would you commemorate the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death? If you're George Steinbrenner, George Pataki, or Michael Bloomberg the answer is a no brainer: tear down Yankee Stadium, of course.
Today big business and corporate greed won out yet again as ground was broken on a new $1 billion stadium/convention center/shopping mall located nextdoor to the "House that Ruth Built". Apparently the new "retro-style" stadium, modeled after the original Yankee Stadium, is a no-brainer: it's much better to build something in the 'retro' stylings of a place that already exists at the same location...then tear down the original so you can pay homage to it by visiting something new. Brilliant!
That's it. In 2009 the new stadium will be complete and the old stadium will become no more than a photograph--a faded memory.
58 years ago today the world mourned the loss of the greatest baseball player that ever lived. Today we quietly mourn the loss of the greatest monument to American sport ever built. Yankee Stadium is not simply a place to watch a game or to sell hot dogs and beer; Yankee Stadium is a piece of living history--now dead.
Additional reading:
Newday article regarding groundbreakingUSA Today Commentary by Ian O'Connor
posted at 23:53